>? look Your Bed You are lying in bed. The warm glow of the sun wakes you up. You remember you have to do something, but you can't figure out what it was. >? examine sunThe sun makes you want to go back to sleep for a while, but you have things to do! >? examine bedYour bed is soft. ### As most are. ### >? examine meYou look like Eddie Hughes looks, which is very handsome!! ### I guess you make games like this for wish fulfillment, right? ### >? inventoryYou aren't carrying anything. >? exit Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? examine dresserThe wooden dresser is red but otherwise looks like most wooden dressers. It has several drawers. One of them can be opened. >? open drawerThe wooden dresser is now open. ### Guess it doesn't tell you what's actually inside, though. You might have to just look at the room again. ### >? examine drawerThe wooden dresser is red but otherwise looks like most wooden dressers. It has several drawers. One of them can be opened. Which contains: Your red glasses are here. There is a yellow swimming suit here. >? examine glassesYour glasses have cool red frames! ### Do you remember Sally Jessy Raphael at all? The talk show host? Well, it's probably for the best. Those glasses were not one of my wisest fashion decisions. Yeah. Big round red plastic things. ### >? wear glassesYou are now wearing the red glasses. >? examine photoThis is a photograph of your best friend Richard. He's very cool! But not as handsome as you (sorry Richard). He's with his little sister Erica. ### Richard was a good guy. You're going to his ... kid sister's birthday party because you're his friend. That sort of thing. The game doesn't really explain that, I guess. ### >? examine suitThe swimming suit is made mainly of nylon, and is made by Ocean Pacific. >? wear suitYou don't have it! >? take suitTaken. >? wear suitI'd recommend finding a more appropriate place to do that. ### Yup, sure can't just change anywhere when the house is completely empty. ### >? look Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? examine photoThis is a photograph of your best friend Richard. He's very cool! But not as handsome as you (sorry Richard). He's with his little sister Erica. >? examine ericaShe's just Richard's kid sister. She's a lot younger than he is. >? examine richardThis is a photograph of your best friend Richard. He's very cool! But not as handsome as you (sorry Richard). He's with his little sister Erica. >? look Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? examine windowIt's just a window, used to look from inside to outside. >? open windowYou don't need to open it. >? examine bedYour bed looks inviting! >? in Your Bed You are lying in bed. The warm glow of the sun wakes you up. You remember you have to do something, but you can't figure out what it was. >? out Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Swimming suit You are wearing: Red glasses >? take photoThere's no need to take that with you. >? w Hall You are standing in a hall. Stencils decorate the top portion of the wall. To the east is your bedroom. Another exit leads south. ### My mother was always redecorating our house, I guess. She went through a wallpaper phase. And a stencil phase. She was always doing something like that. ### >? examine stencilsThe stencils are sailboats and are painted with bright primary colors. >? s More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. ### Behold the glory of More Hall. Guess I felt I really had to map my house well. Yeah. Um, let's see. I think it's stairs to the south, sister's room to the east, and a storage closet thing to the west. ### >? eYou don't want to go into your sister's room. >? knock on sister's roomI don't understand 'knock' as a verb. >? w Storage Room You are standing in a storage room. Many boxes are stacked up. There are also several records here, with such artists as Bob Dylan and the Beatles. You can go east. There is a Shard of Memory here. ### Wait, what? That memory shard shouldn't ... be there. Yeah. No, after I finished this game I started work on another one. It was an Indiana Jones type of thing. Yeah. It was gonna be called EDDIE HUGHES AND THE VASE OF MEMORY or something. Heh. My work friend said it wasn't on the disks I gave him. I'm not sure. Maybe I saved over some of the code or something. ### Anyway, maybe you'll find that vase of memory. I'm not sure if it'll be here or not. If you do, you need to put the shard in the vase. Yeah. Um, thanks. I guess it was an okay idea. ### >? examine shardYou instantly recognize this as a piece of the Vase of Memory! It's black and very sharp, but sometimes it looks like rainbows are pulsing within it! >? take shardTaken. >? examine recordsYour dad left these behind when he left. You never listen to them. Once you broke one just to see how that felt. Then you threw it away. Your mom never noticed. ### I actually did that. Break a record, I mean. My father ... he wasn't a good man. ### >? break recordNo. Once was enough. >? take recordsNo, you have no use for the records right now. >? examine boxesThe boxes are labeled general things like "Xmas" or "Spring". Nothing important or interesting for today. >? open boxesThere's nothing you need in the boxes right now. >? e More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? s Room of Memory You're in the mystical Room of Memory! A marble pedestal is here, glowing in magical light. The Vase of Memory is displayed on the pedestal, also glowing. >? examine pedestalThe pedestal is beautifully carved and looks like a Greek pillar. It glows with an outline of magical light, though you don't know where the light is coming from. >? examine vaseAs you look at it more closely, you realize it isn't actually a vase at all. It's more like the black shape of a vase which sometimes glows in rainbow colors. But maybe you could help put the vase back together! >? put shard in vaseAs you drop the shard into the vase, it seems like it disappears! But suddenly you have this strong memory ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- It's a beautiful spring day. You and your 4-year-old sister are playing at a park near your house. You're pushing her high on the swings, and she's laughing and having a great time! --- HIT ANY KEY --- ### Uff. Um, okay. Okay. ### No. No, I'm fine. It's just ... shit. It's coming back to me. Yeah, the game. You don't know anything about my sister, do you? Yeah. That's me and that's her. Look, this--this might turn into a wild ride. Fair warning. I wrote this game when I was thirteen or whatever, and then I ... I went back to it when I was older. Yeah, kinda. Like revising it. I added stuff. I have no idea what version this--no, no. I mean, we've known each other for a while, right? I ... I'd like to keep going. As long as you would, that is. ### Yeah. The girl in the game is my sister. She might ... she might show up again. ### --- HIT ANY KEY --- You feel yourself transported somewhere else ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? s S. End of Hall You are standing at the south end of an upstairs hall. You can go north, east, and west. ### So, this is "S. End of Hall." In real life I think the hall was maybe twenty feet long? Maybe. But it's certainly worth three and a half rooms here. Anyway, the bathroom is to the east and my paren--my mom's--room is west. Apparently I just assumed everyone would already know where the rooms were in my house. ### >? e Bathroom You are standing in the bathroom. The smell of various cleaners tells you that the floor has been washed recently. There is a large mirror on the wall here. ### One of my jobs was to clean the bathroom. I guess I kinda cleaned a lot of the house back then. ### >? examine mirrorYou look into the mirror, and you see ... yourself! ### Ha-ha. ### >? examine toiletI don't understand the word 'toilet' as a noun. >? smellI don't understand 'smell' as a verb. >? examine meYou look like Eddie Hughes looks, which is very handsome!! >? exitsThere are exits to the west. >? w S. End of Hall You are standing at the south end of an upstairs hall. You can go north, east, and west. >? w Mother's Bedroom You are standing in your mother's bedroom. There are clothes on the floor here. The hall is back east. There is a birthday invitation here. There is a birthday present here. >? examine clothesYour mother's clothes are on the floor in piles. Some are dresses. Some are jeans. It's a good thing you know how to do your own laundry! >? examine invitationThe invitation is yellow, and the writing seems as if it was made by a computer. You can read it. >? read invitationThe invitation reads: "Eddie, come to my house for my birthday on Sunday, August 17th at 2:00 p.m. See you there. Erica." Then, in handwriting below that: "Eddie-- We'll have some cake and sing and whatever and then we'll go do something better. --Richard" ### Okay, I don't wanna mislead you about this. Erica's *my* sister, not Richard's. I guess I was trying to make it fiction or something. I dunno. We'll see what else I put in here, I guess. ### >? examine presentThe birthday present is intricately wrapped with sailboat-studded paper. You shake it once to see what's in it. From your guess, it's probably a doll for Erica. >? open presentIt's rude to open a birthday present that isn't yours! >? take presentTaken. >? take invitationTaken. >? fold clothesI don't understand 'fold' as a verb. >? take clothesYou have no use for your mother's clothes. >? clean clothesI don't understand 'clean' as a verb. >? put clothes on bedThere's no need to do that. >? look Mother's Bedroom You are standing in your mother's bedroom. There are clothes on the floor here. The hall is back east. >? examine bedI don't understand BED as a noun here. >? e S. End of Hall You are standing at the south end of an upstairs hall. You can go north, east, and west. >? dYou can't go that way from here! >? n Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? d Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. ### Okay. Um, here we are on the first floor of my house! Heh. And apparently I discovered how to use directions like northeast. Have mercy. ### And, uh--I kinda feel like I'm talking a lot, so I can stop, or--oh, okay. Good. I'm glad. Hopefully it makes the boring parts a little bit less so, anyway. ### >? ne Living Room You're standing in your living room. It isn't used very much. You mostly spend time on the porch, which is northeast. You can also go southwest back to the steps. An old piano is against the wall in a corner. Your kid sister's doll is here. >? examine pianoThe piano is a Wurlitzer. It's very old and the wood is scuffed. >? play pianoYou don't really know how to play the piano. Your mom does, but she doesn't play it much anymore. ### She played a lot when I was really young, though. I remember Debussy. No, I didn't know the name then. Heard it at random one day long after I moved out. I was at a coffee shop for a date that stood me up. I know, they certainly missed out, huh? I asked the person working what CD was playing. I went and bought it the next day. ### >? examine dollThis is your kid sister's baby doll. She drags it around everywhere so you're surprised she doesn't have it now. She's cut off all of its hair. >? take dollTaken. >? sw Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? s Even More Hall You are standing in a hallway downstairs. It is tastefully wallpapered in a country motif. There are exits to the north and east. A locked door seals off parts unknown. ### Mom and her wallpaper again. And even more hall! Heh. ### >? examine wallpaperThe wallpaper's background is white. It has blue designs and some chickens and egg baskets on it, too. ### Tasteful, indeed. ### >? examine doorThe door is made of some heavy wood and painted a pale yellow. Its hinges are in desperate need of oil. >? open doorYou can't open it. It's locked. >? dYou can't go that way from here! >? e Entrance Hall You are standing in the entrance hall. You can go north and west. A wooden bench is in the hall. ### This is by the front door. Guess I didn't actually make a way to go outside. Yeah. That bench was a nice one. My grandpa made it. You could sit on it and put your shoes on, stuff like that. It was a big thing, a big box, really. Dark stain. We kept winter boots and scarves in it. Wonder if Mom still has it. ### >? examine benchThe bench is made of oak, and it has a lid, so it can be opened and closed. >? open benchThe wooden bench is now open. There's a Shard of Memory inside! ### Yeah, I thought that was gonna be in there. ### >? examine shardYou instantly recognize this as a piece of the Vase of Memory! It's black and very sharp, but sometimes it looks like rainbows are pulsing within it! >? take shardTaken. >? n Kitchen You are standing in your kitchen. As you look out the window, you notice a chipmunk running outside. You can go northwest and south. There is a small green sheet of paper here. A calendar is nailed to the wall. There is a birthday card lying here. >? examine chipmunkIt's just a chipmunk. Go look at something else! >? examine paperThe square sheet of green paper has a message scrawled on it which you should probably read! >? read paperWritten in pencil, it reads: "Eddie-- Do you know where the basement key is? I thought I left it in the garage, but it's not there. Love, Mom" ### We had this old detached garage on the west side of the house. It was a real run-down thing. Amazing it never actually collapsed. But yeah, of course the key for the basement might randomly be in the garage. ### >? examine calendarThe calendar has today's date circled, and it's readable. >? read calendarToday is August 17th, and in the square for the date there's a message that reads "Erica's birthday." >? examine cardThe card is securely sealed in an off-white colored envelope. The envelope's proper-looking title reads "Erica". >? open cardIt's sealed and it's not for you! >? take cardTaken. >? look Kitchen You are standing in your kitchen. As you look out the window, you notice a chipmunk running outside. You can go northwest and south. There is a small green sheet of paper here. A calendar is nailed to the wall. >? take calendarThere's no need to take that with you. >? examine nailI don't understand the word 'nail' as a noun. >? take paperNow that you've read the message, there's no need to take it with you. >? examine windowIt's just a window, used to look from inside to outside. >? nw Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. ### Our house was really old--built in the twenties, maybe. And once upon a time it had a porch, the kind that you'd sit on and talk to your neighbors or whatever. But someone had closed it up and just made it another room to the house a long time ago. ### The computer that I wrote this game on was actually in this room. Heh. Weird to think about. ### >? examine tvThe TV has a 20-inch screen, and it has some buttons on it, evidently for use when the remote control is lost--which is apparently the case now. >? turn on tvSuperb! A vidiot playing my adventure game! Well, you turn on the TV and sit down for a spell. You watch a man in a jet black suit with a busy tie walk on. He asks, "Are you troubled by this adventure game? Well, if you are, I've got just the thing for you. It's a bonus hint!" "Oh, good," you think sarcastically. You were looking forward to a good commercial. "The hint is ..." (a drum roll emanates from the background) "change into your swimming suit in the bathroom! This will help you find the gas tank!" Unexpectedly, the TV suddenly turns off. ### You know, I'm disappointed the word "vidiot" never really took off. ### >? examine outletThe two-hole outlet delivers electricity to the porch. The television set is plugged into the top hole. >? unplug tvThere's no reason to unplug that. >? look Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. >? sw Living Room You're standing in your living room. It isn't used very much. You mostly spend time on the porch, which is northeast. You can also go southwest back to the steps. An old piano is against the wall in a corner. >? sw Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? u Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? n More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? eYou don't want to go into your sister's room. >? w Storage Room You are standing in a storage room. Many boxes are stacked up. There are also several records here, with such artists as Bob Dylan and the Beatles. You can go east. >? e More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? s Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? d Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? u Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? n More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? n Hall You are standing in a hall. Stencils decorate the top portion of the wall. To the east is your bedroom. Another exit leads south. >? s More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? s Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? s S. End of Hall You are standing at the south end of an upstairs hall. You can go north, east, and west. >? e Bathroom You are standing in the bathroom. The smell of various cleaners tells you that the floor has been washed recently. There is a large mirror on the wall here. >? wear suitYou quickly change into your swimming suit. >? w S. End of Hall You are standing at the south end of an upstairs hall. You can go north, east, and west. >? n Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? d Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? s Even More Hall You are standing in a hallway downstairs. It is tastefully wallpapered in a country motif. There are exits to the north and east. A locked door seals off parts unknown. >? e Entrance Hall You are standing in the entrance hall. You can go north and west. A wooden bench is in the hall. >? n Kitchen You are standing in your kitchen. As you look out the window, you notice a chipmunk running outside. You can go northwest and south. There is a small green sheet of paper here. A calendar is nailed to the wall. >? nw Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. >? out Room of Memory You're in the mystical Room of Memory! ### Uff. Yeah. I remember this now. Buckle up. ### A marble pedestal is here, glowing in magical light. The Vase of Memory is displayed on the pedestal, also glowing. >? put shard in vaseAs you drop the shard into the vase, it seems like it disappears! But suddenly you have this strong memory ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- It's late fall. Your 5-year-old sister refuses to walk home the four blocks from her elementary school. She limps and says her bones hurt. You try to make her walk anyway, but she collapses, crying. You carry her home and dump her in the hall by the front door. Your mom isn't home. You tell your sister she's punished and she needs to go to her room. She can't do that, either. So you carry here up there, too, and throw her on her bed, slam her door, and put on some headphones so you can't hear her. --- HIT ANY KEY --- ### So. That really happened. Uff. Yeah. Look--I'm sorry. There's gonna be a lot that's personal in here. I forgot about some of that, but it's sure as hell coming back to me. So, we can just quit and play something-- ### You sure? I mean, yeah, I'd like to. I think. Okay. But like I said, buckle up. ### I'm pretty sure I remember when she'll show up again. Yeah. But I want to talk about the next part, because I think it's my favorite, or at least it was at the time. ### --- HIT ANY KEY --- You feel yourself transported somewhere else ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. Your calico cat sits here. >? examine catThe cat has patches of white, brown, and black on her fur, and her name is Christmas Cat. ### She was a beautiful cat. She was a stray. She showed up in December--right around my birthday, actually--and flopped over on the little sidewalk that led to our house. She wouldn't leave until we pet her. We always said she adopted us, not the other way around. ### >? pet catYou pet the cat, and she purrs happily. >? eYou can't go that way from here! >? nNice job, you bumbling imbecile!! You walked smack dab off the deck. Can I sign your cast? ### Apparently I expected people to blindly try their luck on this deck. I think you can just respawn. I don't think you even lose anything. ### *** You are dead. *** Oh dear, you seem to have gotten yourself killed. Would you like me to try to get you resurrected? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? look Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? open dresserThe wooden dresser is already open! >? examine drawerThe wooden dresser is red but otherwise looks like most wooden dressers. It has several drawers. One of them can be opened. >? open drawerThe wooden drawer is already open! >? w Hall You are standing in a hall. Stencils decorate the top portion of the wall. To the east is your bedroom. Another exit leads south. >? s More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? s Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? d Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Baby doll Birthday card You are wearing: Red glasses Swimming suit >? ne Living Room You're standing in your living room. It isn't used very much. You mostly spend time on the porch, which is northeast. You can also go southwest back to the steps. An old piano is against the wall in a corner. >? ne Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. >? out Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. Your calico cat sits here. >? w Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. ### So, my house in the game is definitely my house as a kid, but we sure as hell didn't live on a lake. Heh. I was friends with Richard, though. We both lived in Milwaukee. Milwaukee was kinda weird in that it very clearly had poorer sections and richer sections, and literally you would cross a single street and be in a very different part of town. Maybe a lot of cities are like that. I dunno. ### Anyway, we weren't poor, at least that's what my mom always told me. But we definitely didn't live with the rich people. Richard did, though we went to the same schools. But it was never ... I guess it was never a big deal back then. Yeah. "You're two peas in a pod," his mother always said. Heh. We loved the same TV shows and books and stuff like that. His folks had a cottage out west of the suburbs in the country on this lake. Yeah. Okauchee. I really loved it there. ### >? n By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. ### I wound up spending a lot of time there with Richard and his parents, even on weekends during the school year and stuff. Either that or on the computer at home working on this game. My mom usually wasn't--I guess I just wanted to keep living in this place with sunshine and water and all that. So I made this game. I remember working really hard on this part. I think there's even a reasonable puzzle or two. ### >? in Green Shed You are standing in the green shed. Lurid spider webs are dominating the walls. The light is very dim here. You can exit the shed. An uninflated raft is here. >? examine websThe spider webs are pretty creepy! >? touch websYou don't want anything to do with those webs! >? examine wallsThe spider webs are pretty creepy! >? examine lightLight is what helps make things visible. >? examine raftIt's a small air mattress. This plastic blue device is useless as is, but if it was inflated, it would keep afloat great amounts of weight in the water. >? take raftTaken. >? look Green Shed You are standing in the green shed. Lurid spider webs are dominating the walls. The light is very dim here. You can exit the shed. >? out By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? n By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. ### Richard kept his boat in this weird lagoon thing. Yeah. He had his own little boat, and we--we'd go out in it all the time. He would drive it as fast ... I guess what I mean is that it was pretty cool to be fourteen and basically go wherever you wanted. The family's real boat was on the lake itself, but he wasn't allowed to drive it. ### >? examine lakeOkauchee Lake sparkles in the distance. >? in In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is an empty gas tank lying here. >? examine lagoonThe lagoon is like a small river that leads to Okauchee Lake. It's shallow, but the bottom is very muddy and mucky. >? examine bulbThe bulb looks as if it seems to say, "Push me! Push me!". >? push bulbYou press the bulb, but it doesn't seem like it does anything. Are you doing everything in the right order? >? examine motorThe motor has a 9.9 horsepower engine, and it looks like it gets a great deal of use. It has a cord you can pull to start it. >? examine tankThe tank is red, like most, and when filled, it can hold six gallons of gasoline. >? pull cordYou had better read the instruction plate, because something's wrong, and the boat won't start. >? take tankThere's no reason to take the empty tank. It will be better to bring some gas here. >? examine plateThe instruction plate looks highly important. Reading it is recommended. >? read plate1. Make sure your gas tank is full. 2. Push the primer bulb once. 3. Now you can START the boat. >? look In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is an empty gas tank lying here. >? out By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? e South End of Path You are standing at the south end of a path leading down to the lake. To the west is your boat and to the north is more path. Hence, you can go in either of those directions. ### Hence? ### >? n More Path You're on some more path by the lagoon. You can go north or south. Something shiny glistens from the bottom of the lagoon. ### Ah, yes, "more path," a clear descendant of the "more hall" school of game design. ### >? examine shinySomething small and shiny looks like it's in the lagoon, but it's hard to tell what it is. >? take shinyIt's in the lagoon. You can't just take it. And you're not going swimming in there. It's mucky. >? lnI don't understand 'ln' as a verb. >? n North End of Path You are standing on the north end of a path leading down to the lake. To the north you see the lake, and to the south you see where you just came from. ### Okay, I remember this part. There's an enemy in the next room to the north. The game-making software made it easy to add things to kill, and they all died in the same way--a puff of smoke or something. There was this ... kid. Just a real asshole. Always made fun of me before and after school. ### Anyway, you have to throw something at him and he'll die. I think you've got what you need. ### >? n By the Pier You are standing down at the lake by your pier. As you look at the lake, you see sailboats racing. You can go north onto the pier or south back to the path. There is a relatively long bench here. Your age-old nemesis is here. >? examine bench"Oh, look at the stupid baby," your nemesis says. The bench is too heavy to move, and it has a crack in one of its boards. It could easily accommodate at least five people here comfortably. ### I'm not even sure why I included that. I don't think you can even sit on it. ### >? examine nemesisYour nemesis is ugly and stupid. His name is Luke. He makes fun of you all the time at school. You can't wait to teach him a lesson! >? sit on bench"You're such a weak little baby," your nemesis taunts. Why would you sit around when there's adventure to be had? >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Baby doll Birthday card Uninflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses Swimming suit >? throw doll at lukeYour nemesis says, "Why don't you go home and play with your dollies?" You whip the doll at the nemesis and it goes through his chest and explodes! The nemesis screams angrily and writhes in agony as he fades away in a cloud of green smoke. (That felt good! What a jerk!) >? look By the Pier You are standing down at the lake by your pier. As you look at the lake, you see sailboats racing. You can go north onto the pier or south back to the path. There is a relatively long bench here. >? examine boatsThe boats racing are called C boats. Richard's father is winning! His boat number is E-43. >? examine e-43I don't understand the word 'e-43' as a noun. >? n Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Someone must have left a fishing pole here. Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. ### The pier was a really nice one. Yeah, some people call them docks, but they were called piers there. You could really see a lot of the lake when you stood at the end of it. I ... miss that place. I'm not sure Richard ever really appreciated the things he had. ### >? examine lakeThe lake's cool, blue waters look refreshing. >? examine poleThe fishing pole is black and about three feet long. It has a reel on one end and a bare hook on the other. You can CAST it in the water. >? cast poleYou don't have a fishing pole! >? take poleTaken. >? cast poleYou cast the fishing line into the water, and you reel it back empty. There's no bait on the hook, so you're probably not going to catch anything. You don't really like fishing anyway. >? examine reelThe fishing pole is black and about three feet long. It has a reel on one end and a bare hook on the other. You can CAST it in the water. >? examine hookThe fishing pole is black and about three feet long. It has a reel on one end and a bare hook on the other. You can CAST it in the water. >? look Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. >? swimYou can't go swimming while you've got your glasses! You'd probably lose them in the lake! >? drop glasses(Taking it off first) You drop the red glasses. >? swimIt doesn't make a lot of sense to bring an uninflated raft into the water. You should probably just leave it here. >? drop allYou drop the birthday invitation. You drop the birthday present. You drop the birthday card. You drop the uninflated raft. You drop the fishing pole. >? swim* Splash! * Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? d South Underwater You are swimming underwater by the pier. The water is about four feet deep here. You can swim up or north. >? n North Underwater You are swimming underwater, near the raft. It is relatively blurry here, but you can make out a few things, such as rocks and a school of fish far away. You can swim up or south. >? examine fishYou think they're fish, but you're not sure. It's pretty hard to see. >? examine rocksThey're just slimy rocks. >? take rocksNo way!! They're slimy!! >? examine raftYou can't really see it when you're underwater. >? u Swimming 2 You're still swimming in Okauchee Lake. To the north you see a raft. You could still swim down and south, too. >? examine raftIt's the kind of thing that's anchored and you can swim out to and then jump off of. But without your glasses it's hard to make out any more details. You should just go north to it. >? n Raft You are standing on a wooden raft. You feel chilled as a cool northerly wind blows against your back. There is a filled gas can here. >? examine raftYou're standing on your wooden raft. Sometimes your friend Richard likes to come over and then you push him off of it! >? examine gasThe gas can is used for filling up the gas tank in your motorboat, but you can't figure out what it was doing on the raft! ### Heh. I still can't figure it out today, Eddie. ### >? take gasTaken. >? look Raft You are standing on a wooden raft. You feel chilled as a cool northerly wind blows against your back. >? inYou can't enter anything here. >? swim Swimming 2 You're still swimming in Okauchee Lake. To the north you see a raft. You could still swim down and south, too. >? s Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? exit* Suddenly, all your possessions sink to the bottom! * ### Yeah, that's right. I remember feeling pretty clever about this part. They wind up underwater. Nothing gets ruined, though--the things can just live underwater forever. ### Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Your red glasses are here. There is a birthday invitation here. There is a birthday present here. There is a birthday card lying here. An uninflated raft is here. Someone must have left a fishing pole here. Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. >? take allTaken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. >? look Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. >? examine pierThe wooden pier juts out into the water. >? examineYou need to specify a noun! >? sYou better put your glasses back on again first. >? wear glassesYou are now wearing the red glasses. >? s By the Pier You are standing down at the lake by your pier. As you look at the lake, you see sailboats racing. You can go north onto the pier or south back to the path. There is a relatively long bench here. >? examine benchThe bench is too heavy to move, and it has a crack in one of its boards. It could easily accommodate at least five people here comfortably. >? examine crackThe bench is too heavy to move, and it has a crack in one of its boards. It could easily accommodate at least five people here comfortably. >? examine boardThe bench is too heavy to move, and it has a crack in one of its boards. It could easily accommodate at least five people here comfortably. >? s North End of Path You are standing on the north end of a path leading down to the lake. To the north you see the lake, and to the south you see where you just came from. >? s More Path You're on some more path by the lagoon. You can go north or south. Something shiny glistens from the bottom of the lagoon. >? cast poleYou cast your fishing line in the direction of the shiny thing. You let the hook slowly sink to the bottom and jiggle the line a bit. You think you hook whatever the thing is and reel the line in. It's a key! >? examine keyThe key must not have been in the water very long, since it's still very shiny. You wonder why it was in there! You're pretty sure it's for the basement door in your house. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Uninflated raft Fishing pole Shiny key You are wearing: Red glasses Swimming suit >? look More Path You're on some more path by the lagoon. You can go north or south. >? s South End of Path You are standing at the south end of a path leading down to the lake. To the west is your boat and to the north is more path. Hence, you can go in either of those directions. >? s Secret Room!! You're in the secret room!! How did you wind up here? Unfortunately, there's no secret things here. But maybe if you looked a bit further to the west!! ### Huh. ### >? w By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? s Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? e Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. Your calico cat sits here. >? w Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? w Garage You stand in your garage. It's pretty empty and your mom's car is gone because she's at work. You can go east. ### So, I guess I just ... hid the garage? Not cool, Eddie. ### There is a Shard of Memory here. >? examine shardYou instantly recognize this as a piece of the Vase of Memory! It's black and very sharp, but sometimes it looks like rainbows are pulsing within it! >? take shardTaken. >? look Garage You stand in your garage. It's pretty empty and your mom's car is gone because she's at work. You can go east. >? examine garageYour garage is pretty chilly right now. There's not much reason to be in here, so it's probably best to find something more interesting to do. >? e Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? n By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? n By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? in In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is an empty gas tank lying here. >? put gas in tankThere's no need to do that. >? look In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is an empty gas tank lying here. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Uninflated raft Fishing pole Shiny key Memory shard You are wearing: Red glasses Swimming suit >? inflate raftThere's no way you're going to be able to blow this thing up by yourself. Maybe there's something else that can help you. >? look In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is an empty gas tank lying here. >? out By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? e South End of Path You are standing at the south end of a path leading down to the lake. To the west is your boat and to the north is more path. Hence, you can go in either of those directions. >? w By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? wYou can't go that way from here! >? s By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? in Green Shed You are standing in the green shed. Lurid spider webs are dominating the walls. The light is very dim here. You can exit the shed. >? out By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? n By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? s By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? s Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? w Garage You stand in your garage. It's pretty empty and your mom's car is gone because she's at work. You can go east. >? e Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? n By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? n By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? e South End of Path You are standing at the south end of a path leading down to the lake. To the west is your boat and to the north is more path. Hence, you can go in either of those directions. >? n More Path You're on some more path by the lagoon. You can go north or south. >? n North End of Path You are standing on the north end of a path leading down to the lake. To the north you see the lake, and to the south you see where you just came from. >? n By the Pier You are standing down at the lake by your pier. As you look at the lake, you see sailboats racing. You can go north onto the pier or south back to the path. There is a relatively long bench here. >? n Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. >? drop allYou drop the birthday invitation. You drop the birthday present. You drop the birthday card. You drop the uninflated raft. You drop the fishing pole. You drop the shiny key. You drop the memory shard. >? drop glasses(Taking it off first) You drop the red glasses. >? swim* Splash! * Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? n Swimming 2 You're still swimming in Okauchee Lake. To the north you see a raft. You could still swim down and south, too. >? n Raft You are standing on a wooden raft. You feel chilled as a cool northerly wind blows against your back. >? examine gasI don't understand GAS as a noun here. >? look Raft You are standing on a wooden raft. You feel chilled as a cool northerly wind blows against your back. >? inventoryYou aren't carrying anything. You are wearing: Swimming suit >? examine raftYou're standing on your wooden raft. Sometimes your friend Richard likes to come over and then you push him off of it! >? swim Swimming 2 You're still swimming in Okauchee Lake. To the north you see a raft. You could still swim down and south, too. >? s Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? sYou can't go that way from here! >? n Swimming 2 You're still swimming in Okauchee Lake. To the north you see a raft. You could still swim down and south, too. >? n Raft You are standing on a wooden raft. You feel chilled as a cool northerly wind blows against your back. >? s Swimming 2 You're still swimming in Okauchee Lake. To the north you see a raft. You could still swim down and south, too. >? d North Underwater You are swimming underwater, near the raft. It is relatively blurry here, but you can make out a few things, such as rocks and a school of fish far away. You can swim up or south. >? s South Underwater You are swimming underwater by the pier. The water is about four feet deep here. You can swim up or north. There is a filled gas can here. >? take canTaken. >? u Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? out* Suddenly, all your possessions sink to the bottom! * Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Your red glasses are here. There is a birthday invitation here. There is a birthday present here. There is a birthday card lying here. An uninflated raft is here. Someone must have left a fishing pole here. Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. >? inventoryYou aren't carrying anything. You are wearing: Swimming suit >? swim* Splash! * Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? d South Underwater You are swimming underwater by the pier. The water is about four feet deep here. You can swim up or north. There is a filled gas can here. >? take canTaken. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Gas can You are wearing: Swimming suit >? u Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? inventory* Suddenly, all your possessions sink to the bottom! * You aren't carrying anything. You are wearing: Swimming suit >? out Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Your red glasses are here. There is a birthday invitation here. There is a birthday present here. There is a birthday card lying here. An uninflated raft is here. Someone must have left a fishing pole here. Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. >? take poleTaken. >? cast poleYou drop the hook in the water, trying to catch whatever sunk down to the bottom of the lake. But the lake is pretty wavy and the bottom is kind of stirred up, so it's hard to see what you're doing. You don't snag anything. >? swimYou can't really go swimming while holding a fishing pole. You better put it down first. >? drop poleYou drop the fishing pole. >? swim* Splash! * Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? d South Underwater You are swimming underwater by the pier. The water is about four feet deep here. You can swim up or north. There is a filled gas can here. >? take canTaken. >? u Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? out* Suddenly, all your possessions sink to the bottom! * Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Your red glasses are here. There is a birthday invitation here. There is a birthday present here. There is a birthday card lying here. An uninflated raft is here. Someone must have left a fishing pole here. Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. >? take allTaken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. >? wear glassesYou are now wearing the red glasses. >? inflate raftThere's no way you're going to be able to blow this thing up by yourself. Maybe there's something else that can help you. >? s By the Pier You are standing down at the lake by your pier. As you look at the lake, you see sailboats racing. You can go north onto the pier or south back to the path. There is a relatively long bench here. >? s North End of Path You are standing on the north end of a path leading down to the lake. To the north you see the lake, and to the south you see where you just came from. >? s More Path You're on some more path by the lagoon. You can go north or south. >? s South End of Path You are standing at the south end of a path leading down to the lake. To the west is your boat and to the north is more path. Hence, you can go in either of those directions. >? w By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? in In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is an empty gas tank lying here. >? drop allYou don't want to drop anything into the boat. You'd hate to lose something overboard. >? >? sYou can't go that way from here! >? out By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? s By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? in Green Shed You are standing in the green shed. Lurid spider webs are dominating the walls. The light is very dim here. You can exit the shed. >? examine websThe spider webs are pretty creepy! >? examine shedThe shed is small. It's made of wood and painted a dark green color. >? out By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? s Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? e Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. Your calico cat sits here. >? examine catThe cat has patches of white, brown, and black on her fur, and her name is Christmas Cat. >? pet catSoon, your cat gets bored with you and leaves. >? noooooooooI don't understand 'nooooooooo' as a verb. >? look Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. >? in Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. >? examine tableJust a simple end table made of a light-colored wood. >? look under tableJust a simple end table made of a light-colored wood. >? sw Living Room You're standing in your living room. It isn't used very much. You mostly spend time on the porch, which is northeast. You can also go southwest back to the steps. An old piano is against the wall in a corner. >? sw Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? s Even More Hall You are standing in a hallway downstairs. It is tastefully wallpapered in a country motif. There are exits to the north and east. A locked door seals off parts unknown. >? unlock doorThe key turns easily and the door swings open. >? d Basement You are in your dim, musty basement. There are many shelves here crammed with random junk. The only exit is up. An air compressor is here. >? examine junkSome tools, some paint cans, other stuff your father left behind when he left and that you don't need now and probably ever. >? examine shelvesSome tools, some paint cans, other stuff your father left behind when he left and that you don't need now and probably ever. >? examine toolsSome tools, some paint cans, other stuff your father left behind when he left and that you don't need now and probably ever. >? examine airThe air compressor is red, and is used for inflating items such as inner tubes, beach balls, and the like. It has a black power cord with a plug at the end of it. At one end is a hose and nozzle where the air comes out. >? examine hoseThe air compressor is red, and is used for inflating items such as inner tubes, beach balls, and the like. It has a black power cord with a plug at the end of it. At one end is a hose and nozzle where the air comes out. >? take airTaken. >? u Even More Hall You are standing in a hallway downstairs. It is tastefully wallpapered in a country motif. There are exits to the north and east. A door leads down into the basement. >? n Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? ne Living Room You're standing in your living room. It isn't used very much. You mostly spend time on the porch, which is northeast. You can also go southwest back to the steps. An old piano is against the wall in a corner. >? ne Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. >? plug in airYou put the plug in the outlet, and the compressor starts working immediately. Its motor is loud. Air blows out of the nozzle. >? inflate raftThe raft is now filled with air and buoyant. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Memory shard Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses Swimming suit >? out Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. >? w Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? n By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? n By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? wYou can't go that way from here! >? e South End of Path You are standing at the south end of a path leading down to the lake. To the west is your boat and to the north is more path. Hence, you can go in either of those directions. >? n More Path You're on some more path by the lagoon. You can go north or south. >? n North End of Path You are standing on the north end of a path leading down to the lake. To the north you see the lake, and to the south you see where you just came from. >? n By the Pier You are standing down at the lake by your pier. As you look at the lake, you see sailboats racing. You can go north onto the pier or south back to the path. There is a relatively long bench here. >? n Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. >? put raft in waterJust go swimming and you'll take it with you! >? drop allYou drop the birthday invitation. You drop the birthday present. You drop the birthday card. You drop the fishing pole. You drop the shiny key. You drop the memory shard. You drop the inflated raft. >? take raftTaken. >? swimYou can't go swimming while you've got your glasses! You'd probably lose them in the lake! >? drop glasses(Taking it off first) You drop the red glasses. >? swim* Splash! * Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? d* You wisely use your inflated raft to keep your possessions afloat! * South Underwater You are swimming underwater by the pier. The water is about four feet deep here. You can swim up or north. There is a filled gas can here. >? take canTaken. >? u Swimming 1 You are swimming in Okauchee Lake. If you want to get back onto the pier, type EXIT. You can swim north or down. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Gas can Inflated raft You are wearing: Swimming suit >? put can on raftYes, you'll use your inflated raft to carry the gas can back to the pier. >? out Pier You are standing on a long pier. You can see a lot of Okauchee Lake from this vantage point. You can go south. Or maybe you could try swimming! Your red glasses are here. There is a birthday invitation here. There is a birthday present here. There is a birthday card lying here. Someone must have left a fishing pole here. Okauchee Lake is here, sparkling in the light. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Gas can Inflated raft You are wearing: Swimming suit >? take allTaken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. Taken. >? wear glassesYou are now wearing the red glasses. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Gas can Memory shard Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses Swimming suit >? s By the Pier You are standing down at the lake by your pier. As you look at the lake, you see sailboats racing. You can go north onto the pier or south back to the path. There is a relatively long bench here. >? s North End of Path You are standing on the north end of a path leading down to the lake. To the north you see the lake, and to the south you see where you just came from. >? s More Path You're on some more path by the lagoon. You can go north or south. >? s South End of Path You are standing at the south end of a path leading down to the lake. To the west is your boat and to the north is more path. Hence, you can go in either of those directions. >? w By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? in In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is an empty gas tank lying here. >? put gas in tankYou fill the empty gas tank, and it is soon full. >? examine plateThe instruction plate looks highly important. Reading it is recommended. >? read plate1. Make sure your gas tank is full. 2. Push the primer bulb once. 3. Now you can START the boat. >? push bulbYou press the bulb. >? start boatYou pull the cord on the motor a few times, and the fourth time it suddenly starts with a jolt, and hums loudly. ### There, that wasn't such an ordeal, was it? Well, okay, maybe. Heh. I'm just amazed I could get it to all work when I made it. ### Start Driving! You are sitting in your boat. The motor hums loudly. You may EXIT the boat or go north. >? n Room of Memory You're in the mystical Room of Memory! ### Right, this again. Shit. ### A marble pedestal is here, glowing in magical light. The Vase of Memory is displayed on the pedestal, also glowing. >? put shard in vaseAs you drop the shard into the vase, it seems like it disappears! But suddenly you have this strong memory ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- Your five-and-a-half-year-old sister is sitting in a hospital bed. She is pale and weak. Her hair is completely gone. She is holding a stuffed zebra she got at the zoo, right before she went into the hospital for months. She is asking about heaven. She is asking about what happens when you die. --- HIT ANY KEY --- ### God dammit. I don't even know--yeah. Yeah. Leukemia. Acute myeloid. I still remember the term. Why the hell would I ever put all of this into the game? It's like I've been blocking it out. Listen, you don't need to be part of my life's tragedies. This was a bad idea. I'm sorry. We can stop and-- ### No. No, not really. Just a few people, and no one really around here. Yeah, not something I really like sharing. I mean--I don't ... Uff. Well, I guess so. I know I keep saying this, but if you're willing. Okay. I guess I'm curious, in kind of a morbid way. ### Yeah. Like I said, I wrote some of this when I was young and then I changed some of it when I was older. Yeah, high school. That whole "get the gas can" thing--I was left alone in the house most of the time. And I didn't know what to do. My sister was in the hospital and my mom was, too. So I guess I worked on this game. ### --- HIT ANY KEY --- You feel yourself transported somewhere else ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- Lagoon You are driving in your boat in a lagoon. Water heads north and south. >? n By Shore You are travelling in your boat by shore. Exits lead north and south. >? examine shoreThe shore has cottages and piers along it. >? examine lagoonOkauchee Lake is particularly beautiful today! >? examine cottagesThe shore has cottages and piers along it. >? examine piersThe shore has cottages and piers along it. >? n Lake 1 You are now on Okauchee Lake. You can go east and south. ### Okay, this part is probably not very well developed. It's just a bunch of stupid rooms all called "Lake" and then a number. Looks like I even gave up on northeast or whatever. I think eventually you'll see something on shore. And that will lead you to the, uh ... party. ### >? e Lake 2 You are on Okauchee Lake near its southern shore. You can go north, east, and west. As you head east, suddenly your best friend Richard shows up in his awesome Chris-Craft (wooden) boat! "Hey Eddie!" he says. "You might need this!" he says and throws a glass bottle in your direction. You catch it gracefully. "Catch you later, dude!" he says, and motors off. ### Hi, Richard. Bye, Richard. ### >? examine bottleIt's a simple glass bottle with a wide mouth. It's somewhat large. Maybe it held milk once upon a time. >? look Lake 2 You are on Okauchee Lake near its southern shore. You can go north, east, and west. >? n Lake 6 You are floating on the cool waters of the lake. You can go east and south. >? e Lake 7 You are skimming the lake's wavy waters in your trusty motorboat. Exits lead in any main direction. >? n Lake 9 You are in a narrow bay in your aluminum boat. You can go back south. A gas dispenser is on shore, waiting. ### Things got pretty bad. Yeah. I don't know when I added this gas tank in. But why would something like that be randomly on the shore? I guess by then I couldn't even keep the lake bright and sunny or whatever. ### >? examine bayThe bay is just a small piece of water surrounded mostly by land. >? examine gasThere's a huge, red tank of gasoline on shore here. It's got a spigot where the gas comes out. >? put gas in tankThere's no need to do that. >? look Lake 9 You are in a narrow bay in your aluminum boat. You can go back south. A gas dispenser is on shore, waiting. >? s Lake 7 You are skimming the lake's wavy waters in your trusty motorboat. Exits lead in any main direction. >? e Lake 8 You are travelling near a peninsula in your boat on the lake. Exits lie to the east, west, and south. Your friend Richard comes zooming up again in his boat. "Hey Eddie!" he says. "A word to the wise! You should have filled that bottle up with something spicy by now!" he says, and races away at full speed. ### You were an asshole, Richard. You never knew how good you had it. ### >? e Lake 10 You are racing about on Okauchee Lake in your boat. Exits head off into the east, west, and north. >? e Lake 13 You are currently navigating the rippled waters of you-know-where. Exits lead north and west. >? n Lake 14 You are zooming about the open waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go north, south, east, or west. >? n Lake 15 You are in your boat on the lake. There is a small island here with a few trees. To get out and explore it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go in any direction: north, south, east, and west! >? examine islandThis is the world-famous McDowell Island on Okauchee Lake! >? landYou dock at the island. McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. ### The guy who bullied me at school--his name was Carl. But I turned him into Luke here. Get it? Like, LUKE-emia? Yeah. A little on the nose. But at the time I bet I thought I was pretty damn clever. ### >? take shard"I knew you'd be back. You're pathetic, just like your sister," Luke says. Luke stomps on the shard with his black boot and keeps it there. "You actually think I was going to let you have this?" he says. >? examine lukeLuke stands here, smoking his disgusting cigarettes and calling you and your sister stupid. You can't wait to destroy him. >? examine cigarette"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. Luke's lit cigarette dribbles out the side of his mouth. >? take cigaretteYou reach to grab Luke's cigarette. He growls loudly, then laughs when you jump back three feet. >? lookLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? examine vegetationThis is the world-famous McDowell Island on Okauchee Lake! >? inventory"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." You are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Empty glass bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? throw pole at lukeYou don't feel like fishing anymore. This is no place to fish! >? throw key at luke"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. The key soars through the air. It's a direct hit! Unfortunately, the key merely bounces off and appears to make your target quite angry. >? lookThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? undoYou can only UNDO one turn. >? inventoryThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? u Please answer es or o. n As you wish... Your score is 375 (out of 750 possible). You have visited 49 locations (out of 82 in the game) Would you like to restart, restore, undo, or quit? yesWould you like to restart, restore, undo, or quit? undo >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? throw bottle at lukeThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? u Please answer es or o. n As you wish... Your score is 375 (out of 750 possible). You have visited 49 locations (out of 82 in the game) Would you like to restart, restore, undo, or quit? undo >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? throw present at lukeThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? w Hall You are standing in a hall. Stencils decorate the top portion of the wall. To the east is your bedroom. Another exit leads south. >? s More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? s Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? d Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? s Even More Hall You are standing in a hallway downstairs. It is tastefully wallpapered in a country motif. There are exits to the north and east. A door leads down into the basement. >? n Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? ne Living Room You're standing in your living room. It isn't used very much. You mostly spend time on the porch, which is northeast. You can also go southwest back to the steps. An old piano is against the wall in a corner. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? ne Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. The air compressor is plugged into the outlet. Air blows out of its nozzle. >? out Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. >? w Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? n By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? n By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? in In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is a filled gas tank lying here. >? start boatYou pull the cord on the motor a few times, and the fourth time it suddenly starts with a jolt, and hums loudly. Start Driving! You are sitting in your boat. The motor hums loudly. You may EXIT the boat or go north. >? n Lagoon You are driving in your boat in a lagoon. Water heads north and south. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Empty glass bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? n By Shore You are travelling in your boat by shore. Exits lead north and south. >? n Lake 1 You are now on Okauchee Lake. You can go east and south. >? e Lake 2 You are on Okauchee Lake near its southern shore. You can go north, east, and west. >? e Lake 3 You are on the waters of Okauchee Lake. Exits lead east, west, and north. >? e Lake 4 You're bobbing around in your boat near a bay. Exits lead north, west, and south. >? n Lake 8 You are travelling near a peninsula in your boat on the lake. Exits lie to the east, west, and south. >? e Lake 10 You are racing about on Okauchee Lake in your boat. Exits head off into the east, west, and north. >? e Lake 13 You are currently navigating the rippled waters of you-know-where. Exits lead north and west. >? n Lake 14 You are zooming about the open waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go north, south, east, or west. >? n Lake 15 You are in your boat on the lake. There is a small island here with a few trees. To get out and explore it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go in any direction: north, south, east, and west! >? landYou dock at the island. McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? save"I knew you'd be back. You're pathetic, just like your sister," Luke says. >? take keyTaken. >? inventory"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. You are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Empty glass bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? sLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" You can't go that way from here! >? eYou can't go that way from here! >? w"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." You can't go that way from here! >? throw present at lukeThe present soars through the air. It's a direct hit! Unfortunately, the present merely bounces off and appears to make your target quite angry. >? udnoI don't understand 'udno' as a verb. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? throw raft at lukeThe raft soars through the air. It's a direct hit! Unfortunately, the raft merely bounces off and appears to make your target quite angry. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? throw bottle at lukeYou throw the empty bottle at Luke. He catches it easily. "Nice throw, moron," he says. He then slams the bottle to the ground, and lets out a disgusted grunt when it doesn't break. >? take bottle"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. Taken. >? lookThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? r Please answer es or o. e Please answer es or o. y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? >? restore McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? take keyTaken. >? inventory"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. You are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Empty glass bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? take shardLuke stomps on the shard with his black boot and keeps it there. "You actually think I was going to let you have this?" he says. >? take shardLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" Luke stomps on the shard with his black boot and keeps it there. "You actually think I was going to let you have this?" he says. >? outLuke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? hit luke"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." You flail your arms, trying to deck Luke. He steps to the side. "What was that supposed to do?" Luke says. "Pathetic." >? kick lukeYou flail your arms, trying to deck Luke. He steps to the side. "What was that supposed to do?" Luke says. "Pathetic." >? inventory"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. You are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Empty glass bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? push lukeThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? hintIf you'd like some hints for particular sections of this story, please see the accompanying PDF of the original map of the story's world drawn by Eddie Hughes. There should be no way to get the story into an unwinnable state. It is possible to die in this story, but you can choose to be resurrected. Still, you may wish to SAVE (and thereafter RESTORE) your game along the way. This game mostly uses two-word commands in the form of VERB NOUN, like TAKE GLASSES or EXAMINE PHOTOGRAPH. The most common verbs can usually be shortened to a single letter. Common one-word commands: LOOK, INVENTORY, NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, UP, and DOWN, all of which can be shortened to their initial letter. ENTER / IN and EXIT / OUT are also used. EXITS will list all obvious exits from your current location. Common verbs for two-word commands: EXAMINE (X), TAKE, DROP, OPEN, WEAR, READ. Type QUIT to restart the game. Type SCORE to see your current score. Type ABOUT to see credits for this story. Other verbs are possible and necessary! Type VERBS for a complete list of verbs needed to complete this story. Finally, there are a lot of locations to visit! You may wish to draw a map of your explorations. >? restore McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? take allTaken. Taken. >? inventory"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. You are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Empty glass bottle Memory shard Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? outLuke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? throw shard at lukeLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" The shard soars through the air. It's a direct hit! Unfortunately, the shard merely bounces off and appears to make your target quite angry. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? throw glasses at lukeLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" The glasses soars through the air. It's a direct hit! Unfortunately, the glasses merely bounces off and appears to make your target quite angry. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? nLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" You can't go that way from here! >? runThat doesn't make sense here. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? outLuke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? swim"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." You don't want to go swimming. You want to go to the birthday party! >? hit luke with raft"What was that supposed to do?" Luke says. "Pathetic." >? hit luke with bottle"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. You throw the empty bottle at Luke. He catches it easily. "Nice throw, moron," he says. He then slams the bottle to the ground, and lets out a disgusted grunt when it doesn't break. >? take allThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? >? restore McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? throw card at lukeThe card soars through the air. It's a direct hit! Unfortunately, the card merely bounces off and appears to make your target quite angry. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? throw invitation at lukeThe invitation soars through the air. It's a direct hit! Unfortunately, the invitation merely bounces off and appears to make your target quite angry. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Empty glass bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? out"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. Luke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? take allTaken. Taken. >? push luke in waterLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" Push doesn't take in as a preposition. >? push lukeThe luke scowls and pushes your hand away as you reach toward him. >? run"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." That doesn't make sense here. >? run awayI don't understand the word 'away' as a noun. >? outLuke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? out"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. Luke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? outThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? u Please answer es or o. n As you wish... Your score is 375 (out of 750 possible). You have visited 51 locations (out of 82 in the game) Would you like to restart, restore, undo, or quit? restore McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? hintIf you'd like some hints for particular sections of this story, please see the accompanying PDF of the original map of the story's world drawn by Eddie Hughes. There should be no way to get the story into an unwinnable state. It is possible to die in this story, but you can choose to be resurrected. Still, you may wish to SAVE (and thereafter RESTORE) your game along the way. This game mostly uses two-word commands in the form of VERB NOUN, like TAKE GLASSES or EXAMINE PHOTOGRAPH. The most common verbs can usually be shortened to a single letter. Common one-word commands: LOOK, INVENTORY, NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, UP, and DOWN, all of which can be shortened to their initial letter. ENTER / IN and EXIT / OUT are also used. EXITS will list all obvious exits from your current location. Common verbs for two-word commands: EXAMINE (X), TAKE, DROP, OPEN, WEAR, READ. Type QUIT to restart the game. Type SCORE to see your current score. Type ABOUT to see credits for this story. Other verbs are possible and necessary! Type VERBS for a complete list of verbs needed to complete this story. Finally, there are a lot of locations to visit! You may wish to draw a map of your explorations. >? examine luke"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. Luke stands here, smoking his disgusting cigarettes and calling you and your sister stupid. You can't wait to destroy him. >? destroy lukeI don't understand 'destroy' as a verb. >? punch lukeYou flail your arms, trying to deck Luke. He steps to the side. "What was that supposed to do?" Luke says. "Pathetic." >? take cigaretteLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" You reach to grab Luke's cigarette. He growls loudly, then laughs when you jump back three feet. >? burn cardI don't understand 'burn' as a verb. >? look McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? examine island"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." This is the world-famous McDowell Island on Okauchee Lake! >? take allTaken. Taken. >? examine shard"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. You instantly recognize this as a piece of the Vase of Memory! It's black and very sharp, but sometimes it looks like rainbows are pulsing within it! >? nThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? restore McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? take allTaken. Taken. >? out"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. Luke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? sLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" You can't go that way from here! >? eYou can't go that way from here! >? w"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." You can't go that way from here! >? swimYou don't want to go swimming. You want to go to the birthday party! >? out"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. Luke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? examine boatThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? restore McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? examine cigaretteLuke's lit cigarette dribbles out the side of his mouth. >? give bottle to lukeI don't understand 'give' as a verb. >? ask luke about cigarette"You wanna play with fire, dickwad? 'Cause you're gonna get burned," Luke says. Why would you want to talk to him? He's a jerk. >? burn cardI don't understand 'burn' as a verb. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Empty glass bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? outLuke starts rubbing his hands across his knuckles. "Who would have thought that you would die before your stupid sister would?" Luke steps between you and your boat. "Do you think you're going somewhere, dipshit?" he snarls. >? yesI don't understand 'yes' as a verb. >? waitTime passes ... >? wait"You think you're tough, huh? When I get done kicking your ass, you won't have any ass left, asshole." Time passes ... >? waitTime passes ... >? wait"I'll always win, Eddie," Luke says. Time passes ... >? waitThe archnemesis seems to calm down for a moment, but suddenly attacks. His hands grasp your throat and begin to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze!! You try to scream and fight for breath, but the struggle is in vain. You collapse in the mud of MacDowell Island, dead. *** You are dead. *** Oh you clumsy oaf, you've gone and done it again! I don't know how long I can keep patching you up ... Would you like me to try to get you resurrected again? ? y I'll try ... but don't blame me if something goes wr@#%&& ---- POOF---- You are engulfed in a cloud of thick orange smoke, and you emerge coughing and gasping, and find that you must start all over ... Your Bedroom You are standing in your bedroom. As you look out the window, you remember you left something down at the lake. You can go west. Your bed is here. A wooden dresser sits here. It's where you keep your clothes! On the dresser, a photograph of your best friend Richard shines in the light. >? goto boatI don't understand 'goto' as a verb. >? w Hall You are standing in a hall. Stencils decorate the top portion of the wall. To the east is your bedroom. Another exit leads south. >? s More Hall You are in some more hall. Exits lead north, south, east, and west. >? s Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? s S. End of Hall You are standing at the south end of an upstairs hall. You can go north, east, and west. >? n Stairway You are standing by a stairway. You can go north, south, and down the stairs. The carpeted stairs here lead downward. >? d Downstairs You are down the stairs. Exits lead up, northeast, and south. There is a flight of steps here that lead upstairs. >? ne Living Room You're standing in your living room. It isn't used very much. You mostly spend time on the porch, which is northeast. You can also go southwest back to the steps. An old piano is against the wall in a corner. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? ne Porch You are standing in the porch. You have a sense of warmth come over you as you look at this cozy room. You can go southwest, southeast, or, you can exit the house. There is a TV sitting on an end table. There is an electrical outlet here. The air compressor is plugged into the outlet. Air blows out of its nozzle. >? out Deck You are standing on your wooden deck. It's about six feet off of the ground. Be careful so you don't fall off! You can go north, west, or, you can enter the house. >? w Lawn You are standing on the lawn by your house. Here, the sun stops shining for a moment, as if a cloud passed by. You look up, and notice your assumption was correct. You can go east or north. >? n By Green Shed You are standing by a green shed on your lawn. You can travel north and south. Also, you can enter the shed. >? n By Boat You are standing by your aluminum boat. Here, you can see the lagoon you are by stretch into a larger body of water, the lake. You can go east, south, or enter your boat. There is a boat floating in the lagoon here. >? in In Boat You are sitting in the boat. Here you can see more of the lagoon, as well as the lake. You can exit the boat. There is a primer bulb on the motor. There's a small instruction plate on the motor as well. There is a black motor attached to the boat here. There is a filled gas tank lying here. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? start boatYou pull the cord on the motor a few times, and the fourth time it suddenly starts with a jolt, and hums loudly. Start Driving! You are sitting in your boat. The motor hums loudly. You may EXIT the boat or go north. >? n Lagoon You are driving in your boat in a lagoon. Water heads north and south. >? n By Shore You are travelling in your boat by shore. Exits lead north and south. >? n Lake 1 You are now on Okauchee Lake. You can go east and south. >? e Lake 2 You are on Okauchee Lake near its southern shore. You can go north, east, and west. >? n Lake 6 You are floating on the cool waters of the lake. You can go east and south. >? e Lake 7 You are skimming the lake's wavy waters in your trusty motorboat. Exits lead in any main direction. >? n Lake 9 You are in a narrow bay in your aluminum boat. You can go back south. A gas dispenser is on shore, waiting. >? put gas in bottleYou place the bottle beneath the spigot, turn the spigot, and soon have a bottle full of gasoline. You slosh it around carelessly. >? save >? >? look Lake 9 You are in a narrow bay in your aluminum boat. You can go back south. A gas dispenser is on shore, waiting. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Gas-filled bottle Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? s Lake 7 You are skimming the lake's wavy waters in your trusty motorboat. Exits lead in any main direction. >? e Lake 8 You are travelling near a peninsula in your boat on the lake. Exits lie to the east, west, and south. >? e Lake 10 You are racing about on Okauchee Lake in your boat. Exits head off into the east, west, and north. >? e Lake 13 You are currently navigating the rippled waters of you-know-where. Exits lead north and west. >? n Lake 14 You are zooming about the open waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go north, south, east, or west. >? n Lake 15 You are in your boat on the lake. There is a small island here with a few trees. To get out and explore it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go in any direction: north, south, east, and west! >? landYou dock at the island. McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? throw bottle at luke"I knew you'd be back. You're pathetic, just like your sister," Luke says. You hurl the gasoline-filled bottle at Luke. Some of the gas catches his lit cigarette, and instantly Luke is covered in flames. You watch as the gas burns away his clothes, his skin, his organs, until only his skeleton remains. It smells awful. The skeleton lingers for a moment. "Do you think it's that easy to kill me?" it asks, then falls into black dust which blows into the lake. ### Jesus. Yeah, right? What the hell happened to a fun little game about going on the lake and to a birthday party? I must have been older. I must have changed and rechanged this damn game a million times. ### >? take allTaken. Taken. >? look McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. >? outYou get back into your boat. Lake 15 You are in your boat on the lake. There is a small island here with a few trees. To get out and explore it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go in any direction: north, south, east, and west! >? e Lake 18 You are riding about on Okauchee Lake. You think you might see balloons far to the north. You can go north, south, west, and east. >? n Lake 20 You are driving your boat near shore on the lake. You can see balloons to the north. This is where the birthday party will be! To get out and walk up the path to it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go west or south. >? land Room of Memory You're in the mystical Room of Memory! ### I think this is the last one. ### A marble pedestal is here, glowing in magical light. The Vase of Memory is displayed on the pedestal, also glowing. >? put shard in vaseAs you drop the shard into the vase, it seems like it disappears! But suddenly you have this strong memory ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- A bully at your school says something one last time about your sister, and you break. You lower your shoulder and charge him, smashing him into the wall and knocking the wind out of him. You straddle him after he falls. And, even though he's significantly larger, you proceed to beat the absolute shit out of him. It takes two teachers and a nearby football player to drag you off. You are suspended from school for a week and are charged with misdemeanor battery. Your mother never says anything about it. She puts bandages on your injuries. She drives you to court. She hangs up new curtains she's made in your room. --- HIT ANY KEY --- ### That was two days after she died. I was so, so angry. ### Yeah, thanks. I mean, everyone did everything they could at that time. I think the treatments have gotten a lot more successful since then. ### No. You know, I--I really don't remember when this stopped being some goofy game and started becoming more of ... a diary. Maybe I thought no one would ever play it. ### Heh. Yeah, lucky you. ### I mean, yeah, sorta. I took this creative writing class in high school. Had a great teacher. Mrs. Garcia. I guess I did take my writing seriously for a while. But after this game I never wrote another damn thing. ### Anyway, I'm pretty sure I remember what comes next, so I'll just keep quiet about it. Into the belly of the beast. Hope you like more halls. ### --- HIT ANY KEY --- You feel yourself transported somewhere else ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- Entrance to the Hall of Memory You're at the Entrance to the Hall of Memory. Please claim your vaporizing gun. The electrical impulses of your vaporizing gun sizzle, waiting to be fired. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? examine gunCrystal fusion, silver trim, a strip of purple lights along the length of the barrel. Just your typical vaporizing gun. >? take gunYou pick up the vaporizing gun, and walk onward into the Hall of Memory. --- HIT ANY KEY --- Hall of Memory: 13 You are thirteen. Your father has just thrown a baseball mitt, hard, across the garage. He is mad because you do not want to play catch with him. Your sister was diagnosed with leukemia a week ago. In three more weeks, your father will leave your house in the middle of the night and never return. You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? examine fatherAngry and petulant. >? examine mittIt looks like a large bird crashed into the garage wall and died. >? talk to fatherYou can say whatever you want to a memory. It won't answer back. >? fuck you dadI don't understand 'fuck' as a verb. >? yell at fatherYYYYAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH YAI YAI YOW! AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!! Your voice echoes loudly through the area, and the volume of your shriek causes the very ground to vibrate. You feel much better having let out some steam, but nothing else has changed. (Although, soon, you hear the sound of a window open nearby, and a gruff voice from inside yells, "Shut the @#$! up out there!") >? hit fatherYou can't attack anything here. You can only vaporize the memory. >? vaporizieI don't understand 'vaporizie' as a verb. >? vaporizeYou fire your vaporizing gun, and your father disappears in a cloud of black smoke. --- HIT ANY KEY --- Hall of Memory: 16 You are sixteen. Carl, your high school bully, has avoided you in the halls ever since you beat him up. But today he has come to find you because he has found Jesus. He is very, very sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive him? You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? examine carlAllegedly penitent. >? forgive carlI don't understand 'forgive' as a verb. >? talk to carlYou can say whatever you want to a memory. It won't answer back. >? vaporizeYou fire your vaporizing gun, and the bully disappears in a cloud of white smoke. --- HIT ANY KEY --- Hall of Memory: 17 You are seventeen. Your mother is hanging up new valances in what used to be your sister's room. It will be her sewing room now. You're angry. Why does the room need to change? There are plenty of other rooms in the house she could use. You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? examine momSeemingly at ease. >? examine valancesBlue scallops. >? examine roomUp until recently, the room was pink, pink, and soft. >? vaporizeYou fire your vaporizing gun, and your mother disappears in a cloud of blue smoke. --- HIT ANY KEY --- Hall of Memory: 18 You are eighteen. You are talking with your friend Richard. Richard now has an unusual condition where his head is separated from his body. He holds his head under his right arm. With his left arm, he is feeding his head a bottle of beer. The head drinks, then sighs. "It's time to get spicy," the head says wearily. You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? examine headSad and detached. >? examine beerMiller High Life, the Champagne of Assholes. >? examine bodyBrainless. >? take headIt only exists in memory. >? vaporizeYou fire your vaporizing gun, and Richard disappears in a cloud of amber smoke. --- HIT ANY KEY --- ### So, I must have been eighteen by the time I was done with this. I guess I had things I ... needed to keep coming back to. ### I mean, the choices don't really change the game, if that's what you're asking. I guess I kinda liked the idea that I could make them one way or the other depending on how I was feeling. ### Sure, I can tell you about them if you wanna know. I don't know how much there is to say. Carl just disappeared from my life, which was fine enough for both us, I'm sure. ### Richard ... Richard and I grew apart. He was a real good friend around the time of my sister's funeral. But then we started high school right after that, and he realized he had more money than most. And we drifted apart. He was on the football team and had new jock friends. I thought it was a joke at first when I heard he died. But no. Car crash senior year. He was drunk. Idiot. ### And then I was way too hard on my mom. After my dad left, she was the one trying to juggle my sister and me and everything. All she did was try to make things nice for me. But I still felt ... abandoned, I guess. Yeah. As soon as I graduated high school, I left. Which kinda makes me like my father, which I hate. ### Yeah. I tried to get away from everything as far as I could. I don't know why I wound up in Virginia. Thought maybe I'd join the Navy. Never did. My mom never really forgave me. I mean, her husband left her, her daughter died, and then her son leaves her, too. I tried to patch things up with her over a decade ago now. It's still tough. ### That's pretty much it. Didn't think you'd get to learn this much about me, did you? No, not at all. No. I really appreciate it. There ... there aren't a lot of people who know these stories. ### Anyway, I'm pretty sure there's just one more room. The birthday party awaits. ### --- HIT ANY KEY --- Path to Birthday Party You're almost at the birthday party! You just have to follow this path leading east. >? look Path to Birthday Party You're almost at the birthday party! You just have to follow this path leading east. >? inventoryYou aren't carrying anything. You are wearing: Red glasses >? examine pathThe path leads to the birthday party. You're excited to go there! >? e Birthday Party! CONGRATULATIONS!! You've reached the birthday party! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! There is a time machine here. ### Well, that's it. Not much of an ending. I don't think I said that I started making this game for my sister when she was in the hospital. We were going to play it when she got home. Like, "Look! I made this game about you! We're going to your birthday party!" ### No. No, she never did. So, happy birthday, Erica, I guess. ### Uff. Well. ### Mm? Oh, dear Lord, not the damn time machine. We can just be done now. Again, I really apprec--no, no. There's no eighteen-year-old wisdom there. That is something distinctly left over from when I was thirteen. It's probably the most embarrassing part of this whole game. Heh. So yeah, it'd be just dandy if we quit right now. ### Yes, that's exactly what it does. No, not backwards. Forwards into my embarrassing imagined future. Heh. But heaven knows it's waiting there begging you to be transported to 1994 or whatever. Yeah. If you must, you must. ### >? examine machineThe time machine is made of shiny steel and it's powered by plutonium. It has a giant blue button on it that you can press to make it work. >? examine partySoon you'll see Erica! >? look Birthday Party! CONGRATULATIONS!! You've reached the birthday party! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! There is a time machine here. >? press buttonYou turn on the time machine and dissolve into a blast of blue sparks! Suddenly, you're in the future ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- 1994 It's 1994 and you're a freshman in high school! Rebecca, the prettiest girl at the school, has asked you to the Homecoming dance. Of course you say yes! You can look around, but you can only go FORWARD (F) in time! >? examine rebeccaRebecca has beautiful curly hair with big bangs, brown eyes, and she wears Guess jeans. >? examine jeansRebecca has beautiful curly hair with big bangs, brown eyes, and she wears Guess jeans. >? look 1994 It's 1994 and you're a freshman in high school! Rebecca, the prettiest girl at the school, has asked you to the Homecoming dance. Of course you say yes! You can look around, but you can only go FORWARD (F) in time! >? f 1996 It's 1996 and you're a junior in high school. Jenny, the other prettiest girl at the school, has asked you to Junior Prom. Rebecca doesn't mind. So the three of you go together! You can only go FORWARD (F) in time! ### Gosh, that was awful nice of Rebecca. Heh. I don't even remember who these girls were anymore. ### >? examine jennyShe has beautiful straight blonde hair, blue eyes, and she sometimes wears cool t-shirts by rock bands! >? f 1998 It's 1998, and you graduate as the best student from Robert La Follette High School! Because you are so smart, you don't have to go to college! The University of Wisconsin gives you a PhD right away! Now let's go FORWARD! (Which is also the state motto of Wisconsin, if you didn't know.) ### Also kind of them. The charities given to my future self apparently know no bounds. ### >? f 2001 Wow, 2001! It's weird to be in a new century. It's just like that movie. You're feeling lucky one day and decide to play the lottery with your favorite numbers 43 and 60. It works! You win 2 million dollars and are set for life! Let's go FORWARD! ### Heh. Even my wildest dreams seem a bit impoverished. ### >? f 2003 Now it's 2003, and you have just won the Super Bowl as the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers! Richard wins MVP as the wide receiver! You threw four touchdowns to him. You beat the Chicago Bears! Let's go FORWARD! ### This is a weird one. I didn't even like football. And yeah. Yeah, you're right! The Packers and the Bears wouldn't even be able to play in the Super Bowl against each other. But Richard really was a wide receiver. He did pretty well in high school. But that's also when he started hanging out with ... other people. ### Yeah. If you live in Wisconsin, you have to love the Packers. And you have to hate the Bears. It's kinda unsettling, actually. It's like a cult up there. ### >? f 2006 It's 2006 and you are ready to rock!! You're onstage shredding your electric guitar and singing along with Aerosmith! Sweeeeeeeeet emoooooooooo-shuuuuun. Let's go FORWARD! ### The last instrument I touched was when I gave up the viola in eighth grade, but sure, now I'm a rock star. ### Yeah, I still like them. My first CD that I bought with my own money was PUMP, and I read the liner notes and stuff a lot, so I guess Aerosmith has stuck with me. ### >? examine aerosmithThe whole band is here, and you're rocking out with them! Steven Tyler sings, and Joe Perry takes turns with you playing guitar solos! >? examine guitarYour electric guitar is blue, in the shape of a V, and really, really loud! >? examine stageYou're playing at Madison Square Garden! >? singWALK THIS WAY!! WALK THIS WAY!! >? f 2010 It's 2010 and you've decided to get married! It's because you're marrying Claudia Schiffer, and she's a beautiful supermodel! Plus, she's rich, and so are you! Let's go FORWARD! ### All these exclamation points are getting a bit tiresome, don't you think? But hey, marrying Claudia Schiffer. Not bad. Do you remember her? Yeah. German, I think. You don't hear about her much anymore. Heh. Maybe I should give her a call. ### >? examine claudiaClaudia Schiffer is 5'11" tall and has measurements of 37-24-36. She has long blonde hair. She's beautiful! ### It's pretty creepy that I knew her measurements and stuff. I have no idea where I would have picked that up. ### >? examine weddingYou have a beautiful wedding on Okauchee Lake! >? examine lakeI don't understand LAKE as a noun here. >? f 2016 It is 2016. You are president of the United States! You created the Unity Party, because everyone deserves to be together and treated equally! You and Claudia move into the White House. Let's go FORWARD! ### Such a thoughtful and robust political platform. ### >? examine houseLiving in the White House is cool! There are cooks there who will make anything you want! >? examine partyYour Unity Party is the most popular party ever! It helps bring world peace! >? examine statesYou are the richest, most handsome, and most powerful president ever! ### That sounds more like a supervillain. ### >? examine claudiaClaudia Schiffer is 5'11" tall and has measurements of 37-24-36. She has long blonde hair. She's beautiful! >? f 2022 It is 2022. You have been elected president of the moon! You and Claudia move there and live in the Blue House. You even build a lake that looks exactly like Okauchee Lake! Let's go FORWARD! ### Now this is a future I can get behind. And only two years away, too. ### >? examine moonLiving on the moon is beautiful! The gray rock shines brightly, and so does the sun off of New Okauchee Lake! >? examine lakeLiving on the moon is beautiful! The gray rock shines brightly, and so does the sun off of New Okauchee Lake! >? examine houseIt's just like the White House, except it's Blue! >? examine presidentYou are the richest, most handsome, and most powerful president ever! >? examine 2022You are 42 years old. >? f Sorry, I can't describe that. ### Huh. I think that's as far as I got. I think you're just in an empty room now. Yeah. Guess you should quit. ### >? look Sorry, I can't describe that. >? inventoryYou aren't carrying anything. >? examine me### Yeah, I don't think you can do anything else. Let's just quit. ### You look like Eddie Hughes ... but in the future!! >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? e### Yeah. There's really nothing else. Guess you wound up learning a lot more about me than you would have thought. Heh. ### Anyway, like I said, Erica has her study group thing real soon, so I--hmm? Oh. Yeah. Yeah, she's named after my sister. Now you're one of only a few people to know that, too. ### So, thanks again. We should-- ### +++ Dad? I need the computer in like one minute. +++ ### Yeah, we were just finishing up something here. ### +++ What are you doing? Who are you talking to? +++ ### I was just playing an old game. It was-- ### +++ What is that? It looks ancient. +++ ### Yeah. It's ancient. It's ancient history. That's what you're studying, right? Ancient history? ### +++ Um, I guess. Rome and Caesar and whatever. And that's why I need the computer. Like, now. +++ ### Yeah, I know. But--let me ask you something. Do you think it's valuable, studying ancient history? Do you think it's worth it? ### +++ What? I mean, we've got a test coming up in two days and no one has any idea how it's supposed to work online. So yeah, my history grade thinks so. +++ ### Who's your teacher? Do they think it's worth it? Or if ancient history matters? ### +++ Dad! What the hell are you talking about? Yeah, I'm sure Ms. Jackson thinks it's worth it. She's probably got a degree in it or whatever. And she's giving us a test that we're all freaking out about. So I *need* the computer. Now. Please. +++ ### I think she's wrong. But I want you to ask her. ### +++ What has gotten into you? Person on the other end, whoever you are, is my dad being like super-weird right now? What are you even talk-- +++ ### Just ask her, Erica ... please. I'd like to know. I'd like to know if ancient history matters. ### THE END. --- HIT ANY KEY --- k Your score is 698 (out of 750 possible). You have visited 69 locations (out of 82 in the game) Would you like to restart, restore, undo, or quit? restore Lake 9 You are in a narrow bay in your aluminum boat. You can go back south. A gas dispenser is on shore, waiting. >? throw bottle at lukeYou don't want to drop anything into the boat. You'd hate to lose something overboard. >? look Lake 9 You are in a narrow bay in your aluminum boat. You can go back south. A gas dispenser is on shore, waiting. >? xyzzyNothing happens. >? s Lake 7 You are skimming the lake's wavy waters in your trusty motorboat. Exits lead in any main direction. >? e Lake 8 You are travelling near a peninsula in your boat on the lake. Exits lie to the east, west, and south. >? e Lake 10 You are racing about on Okauchee Lake in your boat. Exits head off into the east, west, and north. >? e Lake 13 You are currently navigating the rippled waters of you-know-where. Exits lead north and west. >? mI don't understand 'm' as a verb. >? n Lake 14 You are zooming about the open waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go north, south, east, or west. >? e Lake 17 You are aimlessly cruising the waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go east, west, and north. >? e Lake 24 You are driving your boat near the shoreline of Okauchee Lake. You can go west and north. There are some anchor earrings here. ### And here's thirteen-year-old Eddie randomly leaving things laying around. Why are the earrings just ... floating in the middle of the lake? ### >? examine earringsThe earrings are relatively light and small, and they are shaped like anchors. These will be a great birthday gift! >? take earringsTaken. >? wear earringsYou'd look pretty silly wearing those earrings! >? look Lake 24 You are driving your boat near the shoreline of Okauchee Lake. You can go west and north. >? sYou can't go that way from here! >? w Lake 17 You are aimlessly cruising the waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go east, west, and north. >? sYou can't go that way from here! >? w Lake 14 You are zooming about the open waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go north, south, east, or west. >? s Lake 13 You are currently navigating the rippled waters of you-know-where. Exits lead north and west. >? w Lake 10 You are racing about on Okauchee Lake in your boat. Exits head off into the east, west, and north. >? w Lake 8 You are travelling near a peninsula in your boat on the lake. Exits lie to the east, west, and south. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? w Lake 7 You are skimming the lake's wavy waters in your trusty motorboat. Exits lead in any main direction. >? n Lake 9 You are in a narrow bay in your aluminum boat. You can go back south. A gas dispenser is on shore, waiting. >? s Lake 7 You are skimming the lake's wavy waters in your trusty motorboat. Exits lead in any main direction. >? e Lake 8 You are travelling near a peninsula in your boat on the lake. Exits lie to the east, west, and south. >? e Lake 10 You are racing about on Okauchee Lake in your boat. Exits head off into the east, west, and north. >? e Lake 13 You are currently navigating the rippled waters of you-know-where. Exits lead north and west. >? n Lake 14 You are zooming about the open waters of Okauchee Lake. You can go north, south, east, or west. >? n Lake 15 You are in your boat on the lake. There is a small island here with a few trees. To get out and explore it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go in any direction: north, south, east, and west! >? e Lake 18 You are riding about on Okauchee Lake. You think you might see balloons far to the north. You can go north, south, west, and east. >? e Lake 25 You are traversing the waters of Okauchee lake in your good ol' aluminum boat. You can go south and west. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? w Lake 18 You are riding about on Okauchee Lake. You think you might see balloons far to the north. You can go north, south, west, and east. >? n Lake 20 You are driving your boat near shore on the lake. You can see balloons to the north. This is where the birthday party will be! To get out and walk up the path to it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go west or south. >? land Room of Memory You're in the mystical Room of Memory! ### I think this is the last one. ### A marble pedestal is here, glowing in magical light. The Vase of Memory is displayed on the pedestal, also glowing. >? undo UNDOing a turn... >? w Lake 19 You are skipping across the waters near the northern shore of Okauchee Lake. Exits lead south and east. >? s Lake 15 You are in your boat on the lake. There is a small island here with a few trees. To get out and explore it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go in any direction: north, south, east, and west! >? landYou dock at the island. McDowell Island You are standing on McDowell Island. Various vegetation grows uncontrollably. In order to get back on the lake, type EXIT. There is a shiny key here. There is a Shard of Memory here. Luke, your archnemesis, is here, smoking a cigarette. >? throw bottle at luke"I knew you'd be back. You're pathetic, just like your sister," Luke says. You hurl the gasoline-filled bottle at Luke. Some of the gas catches his lit cigarette, and instantly Luke is covered in flames. You watch as the gas burns away his clothes, his skin, his organs, until only his skeleton remains. It smells awful. The skeleton lingers for a moment. "Do you think it's that easy to kill me?" it asks, then falls into black dust which blows into the lake. ### Jesus. Yeah, right? What the hell happened to a fun little game about going on the lake and to a birthday party? I must have been older. I must have changed and rechanged this damn game a million times. ### >? take allTaken. Taken. >? inventoryYou are carrying: Birthday invitation Birthday present Birthday card Fishing pole Shiny key Anchor earrings Memory shard Inflated raft You are wearing: Red glasses >? outYou get back into your boat. Lake 15 You are in your boat on the lake. There is a small island here with a few trees. To get out and explore it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go in any direction: north, south, east, and west! >? e Lake 18 You are riding about on Okauchee Lake. You think you might see balloons far to the north. You can go north, south, west, and east. >? e Lake 25 You are traversing the waters of Okauchee lake in your good ol' aluminum boat. You can go south and west. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? w Lake 18 You are riding about on Okauchee Lake. You think you might see balloons far to the north. You can go north, south, west, and east. >? n Lake 20 You are driving your boat near shore on the lake. You can see balloons to the north. This is where the birthday party will be! To get out and walk up the path to it, type LAND. Otherwise, you can go west or south. >? land Room of Memory You're in the mystical Room of Memory! ### I think this is the last one. ### A marble pedestal is here, glowing in magical light. The Vase of Memory is displayed on the pedestal, also glowing. >? put shard in vaseAs you drop the shard into the vase, it seems like it disappears! But suddenly you have this strong memory ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- A bully at your school says something one last time about your sister, and you break. You lower your shoulder and charge him, smashing him into the wall and knocking the wind out of him. You straddle him after he falls. And, even though he's significantly larger, you proceed to beat the absolute shit out of him. It takes two teachers and a nearby football player to drag you off. You are suspended from school for a week and are charged with misdemeanor battery. Your mother never says anything about it. She puts bandages on your injuries. She drives you to court. She hangs up new curtains she's made in your room. --- HIT ANY KEY --- ### That was two days after she died. I was so, so angry. ### Yeah, thanks. I mean, everyone did everything they could at that time. I think the treatments have gotten a lot more successful since then. ### No. You know, I--I really don't remember when this stopped being some goofy game and started becoming more of ... a diary. Maybe I thought no one would ever play it. ### Heh. Yeah, lucky you. ### I mean, yeah, sorta. I took this creative writing class in high school. Had a great teacher. Mrs. Garcia. I guess I did take my writing seriously for a while. But after this game I never wrote another damn thing. ### Anyway, I'm pretty sure I remember what comes next, so I'll just keep quiet about it. Into the belly of the beast. Hope you like more halls. ### --- HIT ANY KEY --- You feel yourself transported somewhere else ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- Entrance to the Hall of Memory You're at the Entrance to the Hall of Memory. Please claim your vaporizing gun. The electrical impulses of your vaporizing gun sizzle, waiting to be fired. >? take gunYou pick up the vaporizing gun, and walk onward into the Hall of Memory. --- HIT ANY KEY --- Hall of Memory: 13 You are thirteen. Your father has just thrown a baseball mitt, hard, across the garage. He is mad because you do not want to play catch with him. Your sister was diagnosed with leukemia a week ago. In three more weeks, your father will leave your house in the middle of the night and never return. You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? leaveYou are scared and angry, and you run out of the garage and up to your bedroom. You slam the door. No one ever comes to check on you. --- HIT ANY KEY --- Hall of Memory: 16 You are sixteen. Carl, your high school bully, has avoided you in the halls ever since you beat him up. But today he has come to find you because he has found Jesus. He is very, very sorry for the hurt and pain he has caused you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive him? You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? leaveYou tell him he can go to hell for everything he did to you. You brace yourself for the punch that is coming and which you deserve, but instead, his shoulders slump. He looks chastened and walks away. --- HIT ANY KEY --- k Hall of Memory: 17 You are seventeen. Your mother is hanging up new valances in what used to be your sister's room. It will be her sewing room now. You're angry. Why does the room need to change? There are plenty of other rooms in the house she could use. You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? leaveYour mother turns from her stepladder momentarily and offers a half-smile. She breathes deep, and wordlessly returns to her rods and cloth. --- HIT ANY KEY --- l Hall of Memory: 18 You are eighteen. You are talking with your friend Richard. Richard now has an unusual condition where his head is separated from his body. He holds his head under his right arm. With his left arm, he is feeding his head a bottle of beer. The head drinks, then sighs. "It's time to get spicy," the head says wearily. You can VAPORIZE or LEAVE this memory. >? leaveYou refuse the beer Richard's body offers you. You look for the last time at Okauchee Lake. --- HIT ANY KEY --- k ### So, I must have been eighteen by the time I was done with this. I guess I had things I ... needed to keep coming back to. ### I mean, the choices don't really change the game, if that's what you're asking. I guess I kinda liked the idea that I could make them one way or the other depending on how I was feeling. ### Sure, I can tell you about them if you wanna know. I don't know how much there is to say. I heard through the grapevine that the Jesus stuff Carl got into really took hold. He must have gone to a seminary or something, because I guess he became a priest. Hard to imagine. But maybe who you were doesn't always make who you become. Maybe. ### Richard ... Richard and I grew apart. He was a real good friend around the time of my sister's funeral. But then we started high school right after that, and he realized he had more money than most. And we drifted apart. His parents even bought him a Camaro for his sixteenth birthday. But by then I barely saw him. He was on the football team and had new jock friends. I never even went to his cottage on the lake again. I thought it was a joke when I heard he died. But no. Car crash, senior year. He was celebrating his eighteenth birthday with his friends, and he was drunk. Wrapped his car around a tree. Wasn't wearing a seat belt like an idiot. ### Yeah ... yeah. Sometimes I'm *still* angry with him. It seemed to me like he had goddamn near everything, and he threw it all away. ### And then I was way too hard on my mom. After my dad left, she was the one trying to juggle my sister and me and everything. All she did was try to make things nice for me. But I still felt ... abandoned, I guess. Yeah. As soon as I graduated high school, I left. Which kinda makes me like my father, which I hate. ### Yeah. I tried to get away from everything as far as I could. I don't know why I wound up in Virginia. Thought maybe I'd join the Navy. Never did. My mom was furious. I mean, her husband left her, her daughter died, and then her son leaves her, too. But I grew up. I patched things up as best as I could, even though we live a thousand miles apart. She remarried and they've been together almost twenty years now. Yeah. I'm glad. ### That's pretty much it. Didn't think you'd get to learn this much about me, did you? No, not at all. No. I really appreciate it. There ... there aren't a lot of people who know these stories. ### Anyway, I'm pretty sure there's just one more room. The birthday party awaits. ### --- HIT ANY KEY --- k Path to Birthday Party You're almost at the birthday party! You just have to follow this path leading east. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? examine meYou look like Ed Hughes, someone who doesn't want to be called Eddie. >? inventoryYou aren't carrying anything. You are wearing: Red glasses >? examine pathThe path leads to the birthday party. You're excited to go there! >? wYou can't go that way from here! >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? sYou can't go that way from here! >? uYou can't go that way from here! >? dYou can't go that way from here! >? cryI don't understand 'cry' as a verb. >? shoutYYYYAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH YAI YAI YOW! AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!! Your voice echoes loudly through the area, and the volume of your shriek causes the very ground to vibrate. You feel much better having let out some steam, but nothing else has changed. (Although, soon, you hear the sound of a window open nearby, and a gruff voice from inside yells, "Shut the @#$! up out there!") >? xyzzyNothing happens. >? look Path to Birthday Party You're almost at the birthday party! You just have to follow this path leading east. >? e Birthday Party! CONGRATULATIONS!! You've reached the birthday party! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! There is a time machine here. ### Well, that's it. Not much of an ending. I don't think I said that I started making this game for my sister when she was in the hospital. We were going to play it when she got home. Like, "Look! I made this game about you! We're going to your birthday party!" ### No. No, she never did. So, happy birthday, Erica, I guess. ### Uff. Well. ### Mm? Oh, dear Lord, not the damn time machine. We can just be done now. Again, I really apprec--no, no. There's no eighteen-year-old wisdom there. That is something distinctly left over from when I was thirteen. It's probably the most embarrassing part of this whole game. Heh. So yeah, it'd be just dandy if we quit right now. ### Yes, that's exactly what it does. No, not backwards. Forwards into my embarrassing imagined future. Heh. But heaven knows it's waiting there begging you to be transported to 1994 or whatever. Yeah. If you must, you must. ### >? look Birthday Party! CONGRATULATIONS!! You've reached the birthday party! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! There is a time machine here. >? examine machineThe time machine is made of shiny steel and it's powered by plutonium. It has a giant blue button on it that you can press to make it work. >? push buttonYou turn on the time machine and dissolve into a blast of blue sparks! Suddenly, you're in the future ... --- HIT ANY KEY --- 1994 It's 1994 and you're a freshman in high school! Rebecca, the prettiest girl at the school, has asked you to the Homecoming dance. Of course you say yes! You can look around, but you can only go FORWARD (F) in time! >? examine meYou look like Eddie Hughes ... but in the future!! >? examine 1994You are 14 years old. >? examine schoolYou go to Robert La Follette High School. >? examine freshmanYou go to Robert La Follette High School. >? examine girlRebecca has beautiful curly hair with big bangs, brown eyes, and she wears Guess jeans. >? examine danceThe dance is going to be fun. You bet Rebecca will wear a blue dress with ruffles! >? backwardI don't understand 'backward' as a verb. >? nYou can't go that way from here! >? f 1996 It's 1996 and you're a junior in high school. Jenny, the other prettiest girl at the school, has asked you to Junior Prom. Rebecca doesn't mind. So the three of you go together! You can only go FORWARD (F) in time! ### Gosh, that was awful nice of Rebecca. Heh. I don't even remember who these girls were anymore. ### >? examine schoolYou go to Robert La Follette High School. >? examine 1996You are 16 years old. >? examine jennyShe has beautiful straight blonde hair, blue eyes, and she sometimes wears cool t-shirts by rock bands! >? examine promThe three of you will have a lot of fun. The theme is "Together Forever." Who knows what else will happen? ### Um, settle down there, Eddie. ### >? examine juniorThe three of you will have a lot of fun. The theme is "Together Forever." Who knows what else will happen? >? examine meYou look like Eddie Hughes ... but in the future!! >? f 1998 It's 1998, and you graduate as the best student from Robert La Follette High School! Because you are so smart, you don't have to go to college! The University of Wisconsin gives you a PhD right away! Now let's go FORWARD! (Which is also the state motto of Wisconsin, if you didn't know.) ### Also kind of them. The charities given to my future self apparently know no bounds. ### >? examine graduateI don't understand the word 'graduate' as a noun. >? examine studentI don't understand the word 'student' as a noun. >? examine schoolHome of the fighting Bobs! >? examine collegeUW-Madison is the best school in the country!! >? examine wisconsinUW-Madison is the best school in the country!! >? examine phdProbably in computer programming, unless they give out degrees in awesomeness! ### They do not, Eddie. ### >? examine stateI don't understand the word 'state' as a noun. >? examine mottoI don't understand the word 'motto' as a noun. >? examine forwardI don't understand the word 'forward' as a noun. >? examine 1998You are 18 years old. >? f 2001 Wow, 2001! It's weird to be in a new century. It's just like that movie. You're feeling lucky one day and decide to play the lottery with your favorite numbers 43 and 60. It works! You win 2 million dollars and are set for life! Let's go FORWARD! ### Heh. Even my wildest dreams seem a bit impoverished. ### >? examine 2001You are 21 years old. >? examine centuryYou are 21 years old. >? examine movie2001: A Space Odyssey! >? examine lotteryThis is the first time you've ever played the lottery. You can't believe you won! >? examine dollarsThere are so many things you're going to buy! A house on Okauchee Lake, a boat, a Super Nintendo, just to name a few! >? examine 4343 is Richard's sailing number. 60 is just because. >? examine lifeI don't understand the word 'life' as a noun. >? f 2003 Now it's 2003, and you have just won the Super Bowl as the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers! Richard wins MVP as the wide receiver! You threw four touchdowns to him. You beat the Chicago Bears! Let's go FORWARD! ### This is a weird one. I didn't even like football. And yeah. Yeah, you're right! The Packers and the Bears wouldn't even be able to play in the Super Bowl against each other. But Richard really was a wide receiver. He did pretty well in high school. But that's also when he started hanging out with ... other people. ### Yeah. If you live in Wisconsin, you have to love the Packers. And you have to hate the Bears. It's kinda unsettling, actually. It's like a cult up there. ### >? examine 2003You are 23 years old. >? examine superYou absolutely destroyed the Bears! The final score was 60 to 3! >? examine 60You see nothing unexpected. >? examine 3You see nothing unexpected. >? examine packersYou play the most important position on the best team in the NFL! >? examine quarterbackYou play the most important position on the best team in the NFL! >? examine richardRichard caught four touchdowns for a total of 243 yards! >? f 2006 It's 2006 and you are ready to rock!! You're onstage shredding your electric guitar and singing along with Aerosmith! Sweeeeeeeeet emoooooooooo-shuuuuun. Let's go FORWARD! ### The last instrument I touched was when I gave up the viola in eighth grade, but sure, now I'm a rock star. ### Yeah, I still like them. My first CD that I bought with my own money was PUMP, and I read the liner notes and stuff a lot, so I guess Aerosmith has stuck with me. ### >? examine audienceI don't understand the word 'audience' as a noun. >? singWALK THIS WAY!! WALK THIS WAY!! >? listenAerosmith sounds loud and awesome! >? f 2010 It's 2010 and you've decided to get married! It's because you're marrying Claudia Schiffer, and she's a beautiful supermodel! Plus, she's rich, and so are you! Let's go FORWARD! ### All these exclamation points are getting a bit tiresome, don't you think? But hey, marrying Claudia Schiffer. Not bad. Do you remember her? Yeah. German, I think. You don't hear about her much anymore. Heh. Maybe I should give her a call. ### >? examine 2010You are 30 years old. >? examine marriageYou have a beautiful wedding on Okauchee Lake! >? examine lakeI don't understand LAKE as a noun here. >? examine supermodelClaudia Schiffer is 5'11" tall and has measurements of 37-24-36. She has long blonde hair. She's beautiful! ### It's pretty creepy that I knew her measurements and stuff. I have no idea where I would have picked that up. ### >? examine richRichard is your best friend. He's cool! >? f 2016 It is 2016. You are president of the United States! You created the Unity Party, because everyone deserves to be together and treated equally! You and Claudia move into the White House. Let's go FORWARD! ### Such a thoughtful and robust political platform. ### >? examine presidentYou are the richest, most handsome, and most powerful president ever! ### That sounds more like a supervillain. ### >? examine usaI don't understand the word 'usa' as a noun. >? examine unitedYou are the richest, most handsome, and most powerful president ever! >? examine partyYour Unity Party is the most popular party ever! It helps bring world peace! >? examine houseLiving in the White House is cool! There are cooks there who will make anything you want! >? examine 2016You are 36 years old. >? f 2022 It is 2022. You have been elected president of the moon! You and Claudia move there and live in the Blue House. You even build a lake that looks exactly like Okauchee Lake! Let's go FORWARD! ### Now this is a future I can get behind. And only two years away, too. ### >? examine moonLiving on the moon is beautiful! The gray rock shines brightly, and so does the sun off of New Okauchee Lake! >? examine lakeLiving on the moon is beautiful! The gray rock shines brightly, and so does the sun off of New Okauchee Lake! >? examine houseIt's just like the White House, except it's Blue! >? examine 2022You are 42 years old. >? f Sorry, I can't describe that. ### Huh. I think that's as far as I got. I think you're just in an empty room now. Yeah. Guess you should quit. ### >? examine meYou look like Eddie Hughes ... but in the future!! >? inventoryYou aren't carrying anything. >? examine lake### Yeah, I don't think you can do anything else. Let's just quit. ### I don't understand LAKE as a noun here. >? quit### So that's it. Guess you wound up learning a lot more about me than you would have thought. Heh. ### Anyway, like I said, Erica has her study group thing real soon, so I--hmm? Oh. Yeah. Yeah, she's named after my sister. Now you're one of only a few people to know that, too. ### So, thanks again. We should-- ### +++ Dad? I need the computer in like one minute. +++ ### Yeah, we were just finishing up something here. ### +++ What are you doing? Who are you talking to? +++ ### I was just playing an old game. It was-- ### +++ What is that? It looks ancient. +++ ### Yeah. It's ancient. It's ancient history. That's what you're studying, right? Ancient history? ### +++ Um, I guess. Rome and Caesar and whatever. And that's why I need the computer. Like, now. +++ ### Yeah, I know. But--let me ask you something. Do you think it's valuable, studying ancient history? Do you think it's worth it? ### +++ What? I mean, we've got a test coming up in two days and no one has any idea how it's supposed to work online. So yeah, my history grade thinks so. +++ ### Who's your teacher? Do they think it's worth it? Or if ancient history matters? ### +++ Dad! What the hell are you talking about? Yeah, I'm sure Ms. Jackson thinks it's worth it. She's probably got a degree in it or whatever. And she's giving us a test that we're all freaking out about. So I *need* the computer. Now. Please. +++ ### I think she's wrong. But I want you to ask her. ### +++ What has gotten into you? Person on the other end, whoever you are, is my dad being like super-weird right now? What are you even talk-- +++ ### Just ask her, Erica ... please. I'd like to know. I'd like to know if ancient history matters. ### THE END. --- HIT ANY KEY --- Your score is 748 (out of 750 possible). You have visited 73 locations (out of 82 in the game)